Bruins' focus is on re-signing Iginla as draft arrives

Whether Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli is a participant or an observer in trade discussions may depend largely on the status of negotiations with his No. 1 priority, Jarome Iginla.

By Dan CagenDaily News staff

The hockey world has come together in Philadelphia for the draft over the past few days. The expectation is that it will be a memorable weekend for many of the sport's top decision-makers."There will be significant overall action here in Philly the next few days, for sure," was how one industry source called an offseason that's ready to burst.A weak draft class and an influx of seven new general managers eager to place their fingerprints on their franchise have the fireworks set to explode at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night, when the first round of the draft is conducted. The biggest names that could be in need of moving trucks include Jason Spezza, Ryan Kesler, Evander Kane and Joe Thornton.Whether Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli is a participant or an observer in trade discussions may depend largely on the status of negotiations with his No. 1 priority, Jarome Iginla.Iginla's first season with the Bruins went smoothly. He's an excellent fit on the top line next to Milan Lucic and David Krejci, and tied for the team lead with 30 goals. Chiarelli wants Iginla back.Chiarelli had a meeting scheduled with Don Meehan, Iginla's agent, in Philadelphia. On Thursday, Sportsnet reported Meehan was scheduling meetings with other teams, although only the Bruins can talk terms with the nearly 37-year-old before July 1.While there's mutual interest in Iginla returning to Boston, the roadblocks between the sides remain the same — the Bruins are tight to the salary cap, prefer not to add salary with term and can only afford a one-year bonus-laden deal. Iginla could likely receive a multi-year contract on the open market, and there's no reason for him to not test the water in this interview period.Iginla's value went up earlier this week when Marian Gaborik re-signed with the Kings for seven years and $34.3 million. Other than Iginla, goal-scoring wings hitting free agency include Thomas Vanek, Marian Gaborik and Ales Hemsky.If a deal can't be made with Iginla, Chiarelli could look to exploit the trade market with all the GMs in one place. Trades have already taken place this week, and the mediocrity of the class could make teams willing to release their usually prized picks.Any move would almost certainly involve moving a veteran with big salary. One potential candidate is Johnny Boychuk, who would extract the biggest return in a deal. Chris Kelly and/or Gregory Campbell may also need to be included as a salary dump.Boychuk is under contract for one more season at a $3.36 million cap hit. He will be due for a significant raise next summer. As a right-shot defenseman, Boychuk will be a prized and difficult to re-sign. The Bruins are saving their bucks for the 2015-16 season to re-sign looming free agent David Krejci.If the weekend passes without Chiarelli making a move, he could bump Loui Eriksson into a top-six role, fill out the bottom six with prospects, and look for a deal at a later time."It may be that we can't sign Jarome," Chiarelli said. "It may be that we go in a different direction, it may be that we can't sign Player X or Player Y. We're in the midst of making these decisions. We want to see how the market plays out. I guess my point is that these decisions may stretch into the summer, they may stretch into training camp, they may stretch into November."The Bruins are slotted to pick 25th. Their selection will not be ready for the NHL for at least a couple seasons. Twice in the Chiarelli era they've picked in a similar spot, selecting Jordan Caron 25th in 2009 and Malcolm Subban 24th in 2012.Boston has five picks entering the draft, having lost a third-rounder to Philadelphia for Andrej Meszaros and a sixth-rounder to St. Louis for Wade Redden.This is the first draft for new director of amateur scouting Keith Gretzky, who replaced Wayne Smith. Smith's draft results over the past seven years were spotty and got him removed from his post last summer.Dan Cagen can be reached at 508-626-3848 or dcagen@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanCagen.